We left Cascais and set off for Sines which came highly recommended. Sines is in the same bay as an oil terminal, can't say more as we didn't moor. It was a Bank Holiday and we quickly saw that the anchorage and marina were full so we decided to go overnight for Lagos. As we set off Tim and Bev came alongside and asked if we could sail together as their radio was on the blink. We decided that they should take the lead as they were a bigger boat and we didn't want them accidentally bumping into us in the fog which was developing.

Fog, what a bonus for my first night watch alone (of course Steve was below and not likely to fall asleep very deeply!) It is quite eerie in the fog and I saw nothing except the pinprick light from Emerald ahead of us until that too disappeared. There were a few craft on the radar but nothing came near.

I was on watch when we rounded Cape St Vincent, the most westerly point of Europe with its light house guarding one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. It is one of the most powerful in Europe and can be seen as far as 60 kilometres away. The sea was like a mill pond and despite it being a dolphin hotspot not one was in sight. We motored past the red sandstone cliffs, pock-marked with caves eroded by the sea. As we neared Lagos around midday we saw a tiny armada of little craft scurrying around the coast taking tourists on grotto or fishing trips. Large ribs powered out to sea taking excited holiday goers on a dolphin safari and colourful kites towed wind surfers across the bay.

We checked into the marina but having made no arrangements to contact Tim and Bev we never managed to find them in the packed marina but hope they were there somewhere.

We spent a week in Cascais enjoying the sunshine and the town but not paying 45e a night in the marina. However on the plus side there was a Raymarine agent who arranged for the auto-helm to be looked at. It turned out that the course computer was corroded where some sea water had dripped on it so we found a better place to house the new one. All the money we saved from getting a lot of work done, very reasonably in Povoa, went on the computer - typical. However we had a pleasant sociable time and met up with the couple from Nazare again and Tim and Bev from Povao. A hilarious, late evening/morning meant we all set off for Sines a day later than planned.

With the auto helm repaired we set off feeling excited that we were on our way at last and to bless our escape from Povoa we were accompanied by a small pod of dolphins. Our enthusiasm was short-lived when the auto helm went "walkabout" again. After a quick conference we decided that we would carry on the old-fashioned way with manual helming and look for a Raymarine Dealer in another marina to have it properly sorted.

It was a grey day, the wind less than a 3 so we motored for the 12 hours it took us to reach Figueira da Foz and light was fading fast as I steered us in, dodging the many fishing pots, so helpfully positioned in the way of port entrances. Steve booked us in and was told to go where he could find a space, not easy as it was pretty full. As we were not given a card for the pontoon it was fun getting back there after a shower but some locals were helpful and kept an eye open for us when we returned to go for a meal. I can only do the basics "please, thank you etc" in Portuguese and the waitress seemed confused by my order for Sea Bass so I repeated it to make sure. Five minutes later a huge Gin and Tonic arrived! I was relieved to receive only one fish - you never know.

The following day we set off for Nazare. A small pleasant marina with 2 main pontoons, next to a fish dock so there were a few fish heads floating about but the smell was ok. We were late arriving so had to raft on to a Swedish yacht. In the next hour another 2 boats came in and rafted onto us with the same thing happening on the other pontoon. We were tired so after drinks with another couple on their boat, swapping stories we didn't fancy walking into the town.

The next morning we were met by a rather cross Harbour master who turned out to be English. He was much exercised by the fact that the pontoons were anchored and not on piles so the strain of the rafted boats was a worry for him. He was relieved most of us weren't stopping and even gave us his top tip of how to get to Cascais quicker by going a little further out than we planned to catch a current which would hurry us along, near the islands off Peniche.

We saw lots of dolphins off the islands and the sun was shinning but the current was having a day off so we finally got to Cascais at 10pm in the dark, dodging the pots on the way. Some as you can see not so easy to spot even in daylight!

The Rabelo boat invented in the 9th century was used for transporting port wine from the farms of the Douro for centuries. The journey lasted more than a week and the conditions were precarious, often leading to dangerous accidents. However, with the coming of the railways and better roads the boat lost its importance. Finally, the dams along the Douro river brought its activity to an end.

The work on the boat has been completed successfully and the price was far more reasonable than the UK where people seem to wrongly assume all boat owners are well off. Our departure was short-lived however as we were only a mile or so from the harbour entrance when we switched on the auto helm which promptly went loopy so we returned to the marina to have it looked at as we have a long journey ahead.

Alex and I decided to spend a day in Porto. We travelled there by the efficient, modern metro system. The city has many beautiful old buildings and picturesque squares. We walked down to the river Douro and had lunch at one of the many cafes along the banks. Then we walked over the Dom Luis I Bridge which connects Porto with Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port houses are. Famous port names like Taylor's, Croft, Fonseca, and Sandeman crop up everywhere, and many have cellars that can be toured. I suggested this but Alex said he preferred just to taste some port and as he insisted on paying I agreed. You can also see the old fashioned boats for shipping port-wine along the River Douro from the vineyards further up the river to the storing, shipping, and aging warehouses in Vila Nova de Gaia moored alongside the bank.

I was intrigued by the yellow beans as they seemed so popular and did not look in the least appertising to me so I Googled them Apparently these are Lupini / Tremoco beans, frequently served free of charge in bars alongside a glass of beer These salty, buttery beans make perfect beer-munchies and are said to be an awful lot healthier than salted peanuts so I'm told. The outer skin is thick and not something you want to try and chew. The thing to do is nip the corner of the skin with the teeth before squeezing the soft bean from inside, or pull a tiny corner off and squeeze the bean out with the fingers. Ugh - not for me - But then I don't like beer. Steve tried one - just the one!